Department for Transport

Railways: Performance Standards

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on whether Passenger Service Performance by the TSGN has exceeded the Default Performance Level for any benchmark for any (a) three consecutive reporting periods, (b) four reporting periods within a period of 13 consecutive reporting periods or (c) any five reporting periods within a period of 26 consecutive reporting periods except in relation to any reporting periods falling within a no breach reporting period.

Claire Perry: The Department receives information on each franchised operators’ performance against respective benchmarks every four weeks. Delays and Peak Short formations have not exceeded the Default Performance level as defined in the Franchise Agreement. However, GTR exceeded the breach performance level for cancellations last year and the Secretary of State issued Govia Thameslink Railway with a Remedial Plan Notice requiring them to set out the measures they will take in order to improve performance. Subsequently, the Secretary of State has accepted the Remedial Plan that sets out the steps the operator is taking to improve their performance.

Home Office

Immigration: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to how many appeal hearings her Department did not send a representative at (a) First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) and (b) Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) in (i) 2012-13 (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: The Government publishes the percentage of appeal hearings at which the Secretary of State for the Home Department was represented on a quarterly basis. Below is a table covering the 2012-2015 period.Appeal Representation Rates QuartersAll hearings (%)First Tier (%) 3Upper Tier (%) 3Deportation (%) 22012 Q183%80%100%100%2012 Q283%80%100%100%2012 Q387%85%100%100%2012 Q494%93%100%100%2013 Q195%94%100%100%2013 Q298%97%100%100%2013 Q398%98%100%100%2013 Q499%99%100%100%2014 Q199%98%100%100%2014 Q299%99%100%100%2014 Q399%99%100%100%2014 Q499%99%100%100%2015 Q197%97%100%100%2015 Q286%83%100%100%2015 Q385%82%100%100%2015 Q498%97%100%100%  Appeal Representation Rates1The percentage of appeal hearings at first tier/upper tier/deportation where the Home Office was represented.2Deportation appeals show both first tier and upper tier representation rates.3The first tier/upper tier information excludes entry clearance appeals and deportation appeals.4All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.5This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.6Data refers ONLY to those cases recorded on the Casework Immigration Database.

Cabinet Office: Security

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on security for Ministers of her Department entitled to such protection in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mr John Hayes: It is long established Home Office policy not to comment upon matters of personal protective security and their associated costs.

College of Policing: Finance

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to the College of Policing for (a) digital media investigators and (b) the mainstreaming cyber-crime training in each of the next three years.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 13 April 2016



The Home Office provides the College of Policing with annual funding through grant in aid, with some specific funding uplifts to develop certain programmes.Development of the Digital Media Investigator (DMI) training, run by the College of Policing, will be funded by the Home Office for 2016/17 at a cost of £635,448. After this financial year the College will be expected to meet the costs of continuing the training though their grant in aid or a re-charge to forces.The National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) provides investment to increase the cyber security of the UK. The NCSP funded the development of the second phase of the Mainstream Cyber Crime Training course which was launched on 30 September 2015 by the College of Policing. This is a modular course consisting of a series of self-teach and interactive modules accessible to all police officers and staff, which gives an introduction to how to recognise and investigate cyber crimes. The course was developed so that once it was rolled out, there would be no ongoing cost to the College into 2016/17 and future years. It has now been licensed to forces to deliver themselves.Since the introduction of the College of Policing’s Cyber Crime Training course for all police forces, which was rolled out nationally in February 2014 4,394 officers successfully completed it. The College of Policing reported on 30 March 2016, that 1,014 police officers had received DMI training up to that point.

Money Laundering: Prosecutions

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29659, how many UK citizens have been prosecuted by the Financial Action Task Force for money laundering abroad since 2010.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust anti-money laundering regime, and strongly supports the work of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in developing and implementing effective anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regimes. FATF does not have any law enforcement or prosecutorial role.The Government established the National Crime Agency in 2013 to lead the law enforcement response to this threat. This has since been augmented with a new International Corruption Unit to provide a single centre of excellence in this field.The National Risk Assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing was published on 15 October 2015. This identified the threats and vulnerabilities we face in these areas, and an action plan will be published shortly, setting out the steps that we will take to address them.The number of people prosecuted, convicted and given a custodial sentence for money laundering offences, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2014 (the latest data available), can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014 under “Criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence data tool” by selecting the offence: 38 Money laundering.

Fire Services: Recruitment

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of adequacy of the level of transparency in the recruitment process for Chief Fire Officers.

Mike Penning: Matters of recruitment are for individual fire and rescue authorities as employers. However, Ministers have been clear that payments for senior fire officers who return to employment immediately after retirement are an unacceptable use of taxpayers’ money, especially when fire authorities need to be making sensible savings.That is why this Government has issued explicit guidance on the re-employment of senior staff who have previously been in receipt of a redundancy or severance payment, or who are in receipt of a local government or fire service pension. Fire and rescue authorities have the ability to deal with this problem and should do so. The public have a right to know when, and on what basis, these decisions have been made, and we have made provision for this.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Liberia: Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Liberia.

Mr Philip Hammond: Liberia has made significant progress since the end of its civil war in 2003. However, Liberia’s second Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015, highlighted continuing concerns over gender-based violence and victims’ access to justice; the length of pre-trial detention; investigative capacity of the police and judiciary; and the death penalty. The government of Liberia accepted 147 of the 186 recommendations made. The UK Government regularly presses for concrete action in these areas through our Ambassador in Monrovia and in multilateral fora.  The UK is concerned about inflammatory statements by the Liberian opposition in the run-up to the country’s elections in 2017. In March, our Ambassador urged the Government of Liberia to show restraint by ensuring that their responses to such statements are proportionate.

Liberia: Human Rights

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress on implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia.

Mr Philip Hammond: Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created in 2005 and concluded in 2010 when it presented its final report. The Government of Liberia has taken some steps to implement the recommendations of the Commission, notably launching the Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in 2014. A key plank of that Roadmap has been the launch of the “Palava Hut Programme”. This draws on a traditional approach to reconciliation whereby those implicated in the civil war meet with affected communities to agree a resolution. However, obstacles to implementation of the Commission’s recommendations remain. As one of the main contributors to the UN Peacebuilding Commission’s Peace Building Fund, which funds the "Palava Hut Programme", the UK will continue to press for progress on the Commission’s recommendations, including in the context of UNSC discussions.

Libya: Constitutions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on supporting proposals for a new Libyan government involving restoration of a monarchy and a return to the 1951 Libyan Constitution.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK, along with our international partners, is focused on working closely with the Government of National Accord (GNA) as the only legitimate government in Libya. It is clear the GNA, agreed after more than a year of political talks between a range of Libyan parties, enjoys clear majority support as the institution to govern the country.It is for the Libyan people to decide whether they want to pursue proposals for the restoration of the monarchy and return to the 1951 Libyan Constitution. There is no strong evidence that these proposals have broad support at this time.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Sheffield

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on upgrading IT systems at 2 St Paul's Place, Sheffield in 2014-15.

Joseph Johnson: The Department spent £38m on upgrading IT systems in 2014-15, including both software and equipment development. This includes around £31m for internally developed software, predominantly within delivery bodies of the department such as the Student Loans Company. It also includes the Core Department roll out of a new ICT system, Evolve, for use by all staff. This replaced the previous IT service. The total cost of the Evolve rollout was £3.5 million.The IT systems at 2 St Paul’s Place Sheffield are part of the Core Department’s IT infrastructure, so the upgrades are included in the total cost of the Evolve rollout of £3.5m. Costs were not recorded separately by location for this general upgrade to our systems.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: ICT

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on upgrading its IT systems in 2014-15.

Joseph Johnson: The Department spent £38m on upgrading IT systems in 2014-15, including both software and equipment development. This includes around £31m for internally developed software, predominantly within delivery bodies of the department such as the Student Loans Company. It also includes the Core Department roll out of a new ICT system, Evolve, for use by all staff. This replaced the previous IT service. The total cost of the Evolve rollout was £3.5 million.

Department for International Development

Israel: Palestinians

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has made representations to the Palestinian Authority on reported payments by that authority to Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UK officials meet regularly with the Ministry of Finance and consistently lobby it at the highest levels on whether prisoner payments can be made more transparent and affordable. I raised the issue of prisoner payments in September 2015 with the Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Bishara.

Syria: Economic Situation

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to support Syria's economy after the end of the current conflict in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Much of our assistance is already laying the groundwork for future reconciliation, stabilisation and reconstruction efforts inside Syria. Regarding the economy, we are already taking a long term approach to foster market stability and economic recovery. This includes the supply of agricultural inputs to farmers to increase production as well as support to small businesses. This has potential to be scaled up once a political transition is reached and depending on the nature of that settlement. On 26 November 2015, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will commit at least £1 billion to Syria’s reconstruction. We anticipate that reconstruction funds would be allocated against a plan agreed between a new, inclusive Syrian government and the international community. We expect that, over time, this funding will include support for re-building Syria’s shattered economy and infrastructure. However, we must not underestimate the scale of the challenge of post-conflict reconstruction. Syria has experienced 40 years under an oppressive regime and a brutal civil war. Conflict has reversed Syria into poverty. Consequently, reconstruction will cost hundreds of billions of dollars. That is why we will use our influence as a major shareholder to push the UN and International Financial Institutions and the private sector to bring their planning, resources and expertise to bear.

Developing Countries: Corporation Tax

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of public country-by-country reporting of corporation tax details by multinational companies on the economies of developing countries.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that public country-by-country reporting of corporation tax benefits developing countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries. DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.

Overseas Aid

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to paragraph 1.59 of the Budget 2016, from which projects and programmes the £650 million reduction in Official Development Assistance will come.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The £650 million reduction to the ODA budget will be from DFID’s baseline budget. DFID’s baseline budget includes transfers to other government departments and funds. Decisions on the allocation of reductions will be taken on the basis of the impact of expenditure and strategic fit with government objectives.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Government aid to the Palestinian Territories is not used to help finance violence or terrorism.

Mr Desmond Swayne: No UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners, or their families. The UK’s direct financial assistance to the PA is used to pay the salaries of public sector workers only. Our support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, which carries out close monitoring of Palestinian Authority expenditure. Only named civil servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible. The process is subject to independent auditing.

Central African Republic: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department plans to provide for humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic in the 2016-17 financial year.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Central African Republic (CAR) has faced a severe and protracted crisis since 2012. 900,000 people (20% of the population) are still internally displaced or refugees in neighbouring countries. Needs remain high. The UK has provided £58m since 2013 to give CAR populations and CAR refugees access to essential humanitarian assistance, including livelihoods support. DFID is currently undertaking aid reviews, which will set out business plans for Africa humanitarian support.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mechanisms for oversight her Department has for UK Government aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UK direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is used to pay the salaries of civil servant and pensioners. Our support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, which carries out close monitoring of PA expenditure. Only named civil servants from a pre-approved European Union list are eligible, and the vetting process ensures that our funds do not benefit terrorist groups. The process is subject to independent auditing.

Syria: International Assistance

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Supporting Syria Conference 2016, to whom and by what mechanisms the Government's funding pledges at that conference will be made.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the London Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. The UK has already spent more than £1.1 billion in providing lifesaving aid in Syria and the region.

South Sudan: Economic Growth

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) development of oil and mineral production and (b) other economic development within South Sudan.

Mr Nick Hurd: Sustainable economic development in South Sudan will require peace and political will from the country’s leaders. This means appointing a transitional government of national unity as soon as possible and implementing the peace agreement signed in August 2015. The UK remains committed to the people of South Sudan. DFID supports livelihoods and basic services for the people of South Sudan alongside life-saving humanitarian support. We support economic development by helping to improve the capacity of key institutions, and through our support to improving the effectiveness and transparency of customs operations. DFID has no plans to support the development of oil and mineral production beyond seeking to ensure a greater degree of transparency in the sector.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the UK contribution has been to the UN's emergency relief fund for Yemen since its creation.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has contributed £36.2 million to the Yemen Emergency Response Fund (ERF) since it was established in 2010. In 2015 the ERF channelled funds to over 79 projects implemented by UN agencies and national and international NGOs. Through the total resources received from donors in 2015, the Fund has provided critical life-saving assistance to 3.3 million people affected by the conflict in Yemen, including through the provision of healthcare, clean water, sanitation services, food supplies or shelter materials.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures she is taking to assist humanitarian agencies in distributing food and supplies to people affected by the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis who have been affected by the conflict with food assistance, medical supplies, water, and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants in Yemen. We work through International Non-Governmental Organisations and the United Nations agencies, including the World Food Programme who provide emergency food to over 570,000 people, either through direct delivery of food or providing cash or vouchers to enable people to buy food. These distributions are prioritised to the areas of greatest need. We are also funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Channel Four Television: Privatisation

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of privatisation of Channel 4.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government wants to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability and ability to deliver against its remit.No decisions have been made about Channel 4’s future. The government is looking at a wide range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Service: Telephone Services

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Pension Service helpline.

Justin Tomlinson: We have a number of pension service telephony lines including the Pension Tracing Service; International Pension Claims/Changes; International Pension Enquiries; State Pension Claims; and State Pension changes. We conduct an annual DWP Customer Satisfaction Survey which ensures that we are delivering against our customer charter. All our Pension Service telephony services are subject to continuous improvement to improve our service delivery.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy and timeliness of information given to women born in the 1950s of changes to the age at which they become eligible for the state pension; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: Following the Pensions Act 1995, which set out the timetable for women’s State Pension age to rise from 60 to 65, changes to State Pension age were communicated in State Pension estimates issued to individuals on request. These estimates provided individuals with their most up-to-date date of reaching State Pension age. Since April 2000, the Department has issued more than 11.5 million personalised State Pension statements to people who requested them.Independent evidence submitted to the Work and Pensions Select Committee demonstrates that there were several mentions of State Pension age equalisation in the national broadsheet and tabloid press between 1993 and 2006.The Department also ran a pensions education campaign in 2004, which included informing people of the future equalisation of State Pension age. A 2007 DWP report, Attitudes to pensions: The 2006 survey, reported that 86 per cent of women aged 55-64 and 90 per cent aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age will increase in future.The Government sent letters to women affected by changes in the 1995 Act between April 2009 and March 2011 using the address details held by HMRC at that time.The timetable for equalising State Pension age at 65 for women and men and for the increase to 66 was accelerated by the Pensions Act 2011 following sharp increases in life expectancy projections. A concession worth £1.1 billion was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which capped the maximum delay that anyone would face in claiming their State Pension to 18 months rather than two years, relative to the previous timetable. The Government sent letters between January 2012 and November 2013 to all those directly affected to inform them of the changes to their State Pension age.

National Insurance Contributions

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate (a) the number of employers who have passed the full increase in national insurance contributions associated with the Pensions Act 2014 on to their employees, (b) the number of employees who have been affected by those changes, (c) the change in real terms to the take-home pay of such staff as a result of those changes and (d) the number of employers who are making profits to a sufficient level that there is no need to use the override facility incorporated within that Act.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold the information requested in parts (a),(b) and (d) of the question. In relation to part (c), the Pension Act 2014 Impact Assessment (May 2014) contains relevant information:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311316/pensions-act-ia-annex-a-single-tier-state-pension.pdf In particular, table 5.2 shows the monthly increase in individual National Insurance contributions as a result of ending DB contracting-out, expressed in 2013/14 earnings terms on the assumption that the increased cost to the employer is passed on in full.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Northamptonshire

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to (a) Corby and (b) East Northamptonshire to tackle flooding in the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The Government has spent £2.6 million on flood risk management capital and maintenance works in Corby and East Northamptonshire between 2011/12 to 2015/16. This figure is combined, as the funding is allocated to, and work undertaken in, ‘Flood Risk Management Systems’. These systems relate to the watercourses in these areas and the consequences of flooding, rather than to political boundaries. For example, the river Harpers Brook flows in and out of both Corby and East Northamptonshire several times and so the funding for these areas is combined. Maintenance works include routine maintenance, such as blockage removal, and incident management response during a flood. Capital works include capital project work, including studies, refurbishment and improvement works. In accordance with data retention rules, the Environment Agency does not hold financial records for more than five years.

Beaches: Litter

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce litter on UK beaches.

George Eustice: The UK Marine Strategy Part Three, published in December last year, sets out the actions we are taking to improve the marine environment. It covers measures that contribute to reducing sources of marine litter, including sources of beach litter, and to remove what has already reached our beaches. Actions related specifically to UK beaches include Defra-funded beach cleaning schemes on priority beaches. In addition, Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government are working in partnership to develop a National Litter Strategy. This will promote concerted, coordinated and effective actions to reduce litter and littering on land, which in turn should lead to a reduction in the amount of litter reaching the marine environment, including our beaches.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of new private rented homes that will be needed to meet demand in the next five years.

Brandon Lewis: It is difficult to determine the number of new private rented homes needed to meet demand as this is affected by a variety of outside impacts, including the affordability of home ownership, household formation rates and prospective sharing arrangements. The Government is committed to delivering 1 million new homes by the end of this parliament.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to undertake the review of shared ownership announced in the report, Proposals to streamline the resale of shared ownership properties, Consultation: summary of responses, published in March 2015.

Brandon Lewis: The Government carried out an internal review of Shared Ownership policy last year. Following this, the Autumn Statement confirmed £4.1 billion for 135,000 new Help to Buy: Shared Ownership starts by 2021. It also raised the income cap on Shared Ownership in England from £60,000 to £80,000, removed restrictions on who can buy Shared Ownership homes, enabled existing shared owners to climb the Shared Ownership ladder and removed restrictions on how many bedrooms Shared Ownership buyers can purchase.The prospectus for the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to 2021 was launched on 13 April 2016 and invites applications for up to £4.7 billion of funding to increase the supply of new shared ownership and affordable homes.

Local Government Finance

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the final local government finance settlement 2016-17, published on 8 February 2016, if he will place a copy of the (a) methodology used for calculating the distribution  and (b) detailed model used to calculate the allocation to each individual authority of the 2016-17 transitional grant in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Secretary of State has published an explanatory note setting out the method of calculation of the Transition Grant. Copies have been made available in the libraries of both Houses. It is available to view at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510870/Explanatory_note_on_the_allocation_of_the_Transition_Grant.pdf.Individual authority allocations were published on 8 February as part of the Core Spending Power: Supporting Information tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corespending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017.The Secretary of State has already addressed questions from the House on this matter. I refer the hon. Member to the debate on Local Government Finance Report (England) on 10 February, Official Report, Columns 1643-1645.

Social Rented Housing: EU Nationals

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of nationals from other EU member states who are on social housing waiting lists.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 13 April 2016



The Department’s annual Local Authority’s Housing Statistics provide information on the total households on local authority waiting lists in England but do not record nationality. The Department’s English Housing Survey does ask whether respondents are on a waiting list and also records nationality. The sample size, however, is not sufficient to provide a robust estimate by nationality.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her most recent estimate is of the total cost to the public purse of the Hinkley Point C project.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 14 April 2016



In October 2015 the Government laid a minute before Parliament setting out at a high level the terms of the agreement reached with EDF in respect of the Hinkley Point C power plant: http://qna.files.parliament.uk/qna-attachments/425357%5Coriginal%5C20151021%20Minute%20to%20Parliament%20HPC%20contingent%20liabilities.docx As noted in the minute, payments under the Contracts for Difference (CfD), like all other CfDs, would be funded through the Supplier Obligation and would be in the range of £4bn to £19bn depending on the level of future wholesale prices and operating costs. Under the CfD, consumers won’t start paying until the plant is powering their homes and businesses with electricity, expected to be 2025.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Sustainable Development

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has made an assessment of the extent to which the single departmental plans for the current Parliament are consistent with the UK's sustainable development aims.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The UK Government is committed to delivering the sustainable development goals as agreed by the United Nations in 2015. We will be reviewing the consistency of our plans and policies with the Global Goals.

Sexual Offences

Ann Coffey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many offences with code (a) 17B, (b) 19D, (c) 19E, (d) 19H, (e) 20B, (f) 2, (g) 22B, (h) 74 and (i) 88A under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were recorded by police each year since 2008.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Offences with code
(PDF Document, 156.75 KB)

Department of Health

Hearing Impairment: Mobile Phones

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Department has made no assessment of the effects on the incidence of hearing loss of mobile phones and other similar devices which do not have a volume control.The Department’s Policy Research Programme is funding COSMOS (Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health) which is conducted by Imperial College London and expected to end in 2019. This study will investigate possible health effects from long term use of mobile phones and other wireless technologies, on a United Kingdom cohort of 105,000 adults. One of the health outcomes investigated will be tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Hearing loss is one of the factors that may be involved in the development of tinnitus and this study will monitor the incidence of tinnitus in mobile phone users.

Autism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to (a) review and (b) improve the autism self-assessment framework.

Alistair Burt: Working with the Department, Public Health England regularly undertakes an autism self assessment exercise with local authorities and their partners to gauge progress in implementing the Autism Strategy. The results of the self assessment and the individual returns from areas are made public so that organisations and people can challenge locally if they think that more needs to be done. The assessment questions and the process for local agreement are reviewed each time, taking into account that general continuity is needed in terms of measuring progress. The February meeting of the cross government Autism Programme Board considered the changes proposed for the next exercise which were put forward following discussions with representatives of Government departments, local authorities, the National Health Service, the autism third sector and people with autism and family carers. Further refinement will be undertaken over the next few weeks before the self assessment exercise is launched in the summer.

General Practitioners

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is per patient attending at GPs' surgeries nationally.

Alistair Burt: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that the total expenditure on General Practice in England in 2013/14 was £8,753 million. NHS England estimates that there are 340 million general practitioner consultations each year. As an average, this would work out as £25.74 per patient attendance.

Pharmacy: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27141, by which criteria his Department plans to determine NHS support funding for community pharmacies under the Pharmacy Access Scheme.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27141, what timetable he has set for the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27141, what estimate he has made of the number of independent pharmacies which will lose their NHS support funding as a result of the Pharmacy Access Scheme.

Alistair Burt: We have been in discussions with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) since December 2015 regarding the Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. In parallel, we have sought views on our proposals from other pharmacy organisations and from patient groups. The details of the Pharmacy Access Scheme, including any criteria and a timetable for implementation, form part of this consultation.We announced on 16 March 2016 that the consultation period was to be extended to allow more time to develop the proposed changes with the PSNC and others. It will now close on 24 May 2016.Once we have carefully considered the outcomes from the consultation, we are looking to communicate final decisions as soon as possible, so that pharmacy contractors are fully informed some months before the funding reduction starts from October 2016.

Social Services: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of people receiving social care in (a) Dartford and (b) Kent who are entitled to public funding to support that care.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.Data collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre indicates that in 2014/15 there were 4,175 local authority supported long term residential and nursing care users aged 65 years and over supported by Kent County Council. This data is not available for the individual district councils in Kent, of which Dartford is one.The data can be found at:http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18663An internal estimate carried out by the Department in 2012/13 estimated that 48% of people aged 65 and over in residential and nursing care in Kent were receiving local authority support at that time.

Dementia: Care Homes

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of specialist dementia (a) residential and (b) nursing home places in Kent.

Alistair Burt: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information:Active care home locations with the Dementia Service User Band in the Kent local authority Type of homeNumber of bedsNumber of locationsNursing home3,66362Residential home4,229136Grand Total7,892198 Source: CQC database at 11 April 2016

Hepatitis

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what help is available to people with hepatitis C infection from contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison: Under the current support arrangements, people infected with hepatitis C through the use of National Health Service blood products are offered a lump sum payment of £20,000 on registering and the option to apply for certain discretionary support: both financial and non-financial. Should they develop “Stage 2” hepatitis C, the later stage of the disease, patients are then offered an additional lump sum of £50,000 and a regular annual payment of £14,749. Those people co-infected with hepatitis C stage 2 and HIV are offered a regular annual payment of £29,498. Currently 595 people are receiving these regular annual payments. In addition, 242 people are receiving regular payments for HIV infection.However, the Department is consulting on options for a future support scheme which aims to ensure all of those infected with hepatitis C and registered with the payment schemes would receive regular annual payments, up to £15,000. There are currently 2,424 people with “stage 1” hepatitis C currently registered with the payment schemes who would benefit additionally from this proposed change.

Pharmacy: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will carry out an assessment of the potential (a) health, (b) economic and (c) social effects of its proposals to reduce community pharmacy funding.

Alistair Burt: Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review, the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and others, including patient and public representatives, on our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. We announced on 16 March 2016 that the consultation period was to be extended to allow more time to develop the proposed changes with the PSNC and others. It will now close on 24 May 2016.An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

General Practitioners: West Yorkshire

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the funding formula for GP surgeries on surgeries in (a) Huddersfield and (b) Kirklees.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he made of the funding needs of (a) university health centres and (b) other GP surgeries with atypical patient profiles in applying the core funding formula for GP surgeries.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from (a) university health centres and (b) other GP surgeries with atypical patient profiles on funding formula changes.

Alistair Burt: Approximately 55% of general practitioner (GP) practices operate under General Medical Service (GMS) contract arrangements. Typically, at least half of the money that a GMS practice receives is in the form of the ‘global sum’, derived through the Carr-Hill Formula.The formula, as agreed with the British Medical Association (BMA) before the introduction of the 2004 GP contract, is used to allocate the global sum and related payments on the basis of the practice population, weighted for factors that influence relative needs and costs.There are indications that the formula does not work as effectively in areas with demographically atypical populations, such as new towns or areas with high student populations. NHS England is working with the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, NHS Employers, the Department and academic partners on the review to develop a formula that better reflects the factors that drive workload, such as age or deprivation. As part of this work, the effect of any changes on practice funding in specific areas such as Huddersfield and Kirklees will be considered. It is intended that the review of the Carr-Hill formula will inform the 2017-18 GP contract.A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence received since 1 May 2015 from university health centres. There has also been a Ministerial meeting related to areas with demographically atypical populations, in this case new towns. It was not possible to identify correspondence received from GP surgeries with atypical patient profiles. This represents correspondence received by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit only.

Respite Care: Children

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each local authority has spent on short breaks in the last 12 months; and how many hours of such support those local authorities provided in that period in total.

Alistair Burt: Data on the amount each local authority has spent on short breaks and respite care in the last 12 months and how many hours of respite support each local authority has provided in the same period, is not collected centrally.

Ophthalmic Services: Children

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many outpatient (a) paediatric ophthalmology, (b) ophthalmology, (c) medical ophthalmology, (d) optometry and (e) orthoptic follow-up appointments for children under 19 years of age were (i) cancelled and (ii) missed because the patient did not attend in 2014-15.

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many outpatient (a) paediatric ophthalmology, (b) ophthalmology, (c) medical ophthalmology, (d) optometry and (e) orthoptic first appointments for children under 19 years of age were (i) cancelled and (ii) missed because the patient did not attend in 2014-15.

Alistair Burt: The information is shown in the following table.Information on first and follow-up outpatient paediatric ophthalmology, ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology, optometry, and orthoptic appointments for patients under 19 years of age in 2014-15  First appointmentsFollow-up appointmentsTreatment specialtyCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendCancelled (by hospital or by patient)Patient did not attendPaediatric ophthalmology18,32218,57350,18446,044Ophthalmology27,81425,06770,91768,032Medical ophthalmology1641,5254013,923Optometry987544897484Orthoptics13,32212,65257,00241,410 Source:Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre Note:These are not counts of people as the same person may have had more than one appointment within the same time period.

Dental Services: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of dentists in Dartford able to accept new NHS patients.

Alistair Burt: This is a matter for the local National Health Service.NHS England advises that out of 12 dental surgeries in Dartford, there are six surgeries that are currently accepting new NHS patients.

General Practitioners

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP appointments were missed in (a) Calderdale and (b) England in each year since 2010; and what the estimated cost of those missed appointments was to the NHS.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP appointments were available in (a) Calderdale and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The number of general practitioner (GP) appointments that are available in Calderdale and England is not held.The number of GP appointments that are missed is not collected centrally, however, figures from NHS England suggest that more than 12 million GP appointments are missed each year in the United Kingdom (there is no individual breakdown for Calderdale or England separately), which costs in excess of £162 million per year.